Skybound in India: Where Innovation Takes Flight

What comes to mind when you think of a tech internship? For many, it’s a mix of learning, shadowing experts, and contributing to projects. It’s a valuable experience, but what if we took it to the next level? What if, from day one, interns were empowered to build, solve, and innovate on ideas waiting to take flight? This past summer we didn’t just ask “what if?” We empowered our 30 Skybound interns in India to start building and innovating.

Innovation Born from an Ideathon
The projects our Skybound interns are tackling aren’t just training exercises. Their work was rooted in Zscaler’s Ideathon, a global initiative inviting Zscaler engineers to submit their most innovative concepts. From tools to help identify unusual patterns in data that may indicate system faults, performance issues, or security breaches to a self-service query generation pipeline that automates GraphQL API endpoint creation, our interns are coming up with solutions that are immediately applicable. By entrusting the next generation of brilliant minds with these vital projects, we’re infusing our development process with fresh perspectives and bold thinking, helping move ideas from concept to impact. 

A Two-Way Street of Innovation

Skybound delivers  a transformative journey for everyone involved. For our interns, the program bridges the gap between theory and reality. They dive headfirst into solving business-critical challenges. They aren't just watching innovation happen; they are the innovators–getting to shape solutions, challenge assumptions, and see their work contribute directly to Zscaler’s mission. For Zscaler, the benefits are just as profound. We’re not only developing future leaders but also accelerating our own innovation cycle. 

Hear from Our Innovators
But don’t just take our word for it. We asked our interns about their experiences, and here’s what they shared:

On Driving Innovation & Customer Impact

• "My favorite part of Zscaler's culture is its relentless drive for innovation, which is directly fueled by a deep sense of customer obsession. This creates an environment where employees are empowered to solve real-world security challenges that have a significant and immediate impact."
  • — R Rohan K.
    
     
• "Zscaler and Skybound truly distinguish themselves because interns are entrusted with working on real, production-level projects. This direct contribution means our work directly impacts the company's progress and success."
  • — Sakshi S.

On Our Culture of Collaboration & Teamwork

• "My favorite part of the culture is the mutual respect and openness. Everyone is approachable, making collaboration smooth and enabling interns to feel like a valued part of the team."
  • — Sangala K.
     
• "The culture is too good, the team is supportive, approachable, and so welcoming. The team building events and outings were really fun times we had together."
  • — Nikita V.
     

On Growth & Mentorship

• "Zscaler's Skybound program stands out by being a highly structured career accelerator... I genuinely enjoyed the collaborative culture and the mentorship I received. Learning from experts who are so passionate in their fields was incredibly inspiring and accelerated my own technical as well as professional growth immensely."
  • — Nimish B.
     
• "One of my favorite aspects was interacting with experienced mentors and gaining invaluable insights into how to approach system architecture. Their guidance helped me understand the thought process required to craft impactful and scalable solutions."
  • — Atharv K.

The Future is Bright

The success of Skybound is a testament to what’s possible when you combine brilliant ideas with passionate, emerging talent. A huge thank you to our India interns for their remarkable work, and to the mentors who guided them. We can’t wait to see what the next generation of innovators will dream, build and achieve.